COLQUITT COUNTY SCHOOLS

CONSISTENT PRACTICE

in the

Teaching of Reading and Writing

K-8

August 2007

The K-8 curriculum for reading and writing is established in the Georgia Performance Standards for each grade. Teachers of reading and writing will teach to the GPS following the system pacingguide for each grade. Teaching to the Georgia Performance Standards will include the major features: “big ideas”, enduring understandings, essential questions, skills and knowledge, evidence/performance, and assessment. These major features must be clearly evidenced in teacher lesson planning.

The following instructional practices will be required in the teaching of reading and writing in all elementary and middle schools in the district:

READING

  • Reading Workshop Design is still implemented K-8 to include:

mini lessons (grade level instruction, 10-15 minutes, with dated charts),

work time (40 minutes - guided reading, conferences, independent reading such as AR books, book bags, buddy reading, response journals/literacy activities, needs based small groups, a needs based small group could be J/J in K or 1st),

share time(grade level instruction, 10-15 minutes)

  • A system-wide, formative assessment at least twice during the school year to gauge student progress in reading (the 2nd DRA should just have been completed – possibly a modified version)
  • Continuous informal formative assessmentswill be administered throughout the year (“Assessment Toolkit” being developed)
  • (No testing above caps (K-3) or above grade level (4-8) in DRA/Rigby. (Possible exception is for Gifted ID students – literacy coach to determine and approve.)
  • A reading conference, with documentation, a minimum of once every 2 weeks per student. (Documentation includes anecdotal notes, running records, and a class profile sheet.)
  • Evidence of planning based on student assessment for guided reading groups and the skills to be taught (Lesson plan book, conference documentation).
  • Leveled classroom library in each classroom.
  • IF student work related to reading is displayed then the work must have standard and task cards.
  • Student initiated, working, interactive, “Word Bank”.
  • Author Study recommended but not required
  • Skills Block – 30 minutes- outside and extra to the Reader’s Workshop
  • Skills block for K and 1st is still Saxon Phonics (possibly changed for 08/09)
  • Skills Block for 2-5 is Harcourt Language Arts
  • “Jack and Jilly” (K and 1st) is presented in small group during Reader’s Workshop but after the whole group instruction.

Note: J/J is not the whole class – only as needed

J/J does not replace Reader’s Workshop

J/J does not replace skills block

  • 2nd grade students still needing instruction in phonics receive the instruction in a needs-based small group during the work time of Reader’s Workshop

WRITING

  • Writing Workshop Design to include:

mini lessons (dated charts, teacher/student rubrics),

independent work time (independent writing, conferences, response groups), author’s chair.

  • A writing conference, with documentation in the conference notebook, a minimum of once every 2 weeks per student.
  • Students should have writing folders.
  • Yellow folders will be used for portfolios. Teachers in the next grade will use the students’ writing samples as “starting points” for instruction. Writing samples will be removed when the next year’s genre sample is placed in the folder – only the current year’s work goes into the folder and on to the next grade. (See attached sheet)
  • Current student work is displayed with standard and task cards, and commentary.
  • Student initiated, working, interactive, “Word Bank”.
  • Cursive writing, 3rd grade, is presented in the “Skills Block” and limited to 30 minutes or at another time during the school day.
  • Genre study (follow pacing guide)

K-5 Writing Portfolio (Yellow Folders)

Keep during the YearPass Up at the End of the Year

K5 pieces w/rubriclast sample from last 9 weeks

(Beginning of the year andwith rubric attached

at the end of each 9 weeks)

1st5 pieces w/rubric1 narrative piece

(Beginning of the year andwith rubric attached

at the end of each 9 weeks)

should include narrative and

may include informational

2nd5 pieces w/rubric1 narrative piece and

(Beginning of the year and1 informational piece

at the end of each 9 weeks)with rubrics attached

should include narrative and

informational, and may include

letter, response to lit., and

persuasive

3rd 5 pieces w/state assessmentunassisted narrative,

rubric (Beginning of the year andinformational, persuasive, and

at the end of each genre)response to lit. pieces that have

1 piece at the end of each unitbeen used for the 3rd grade

of study: narrative, informational,writing assessment.

persuasive, response to lit.with state assessment rubrics attached

4th 5 pieces w/5th state assessmentunassisted narrative,

rubric (Beginning of the year andinformational, persuasive, and

at the end of each genre)response to lit. pieces

1 piece at the end of each unitwith state assessment rubrics attached

of study: narrative, informational,

persuasive, response to lit.

5th 5 pieces w/5th state assessmentnarrative, persuasive,

rubric (Beginning of the year andinformational, and response

at the end of each genre)to lit. pieces

1 piece at the end of each unitwith state assessment rubrics attached

of study: narrative, informational,

persuasive, response to lit.

Upon completion of instruction in a genre the previous year’s sample can be replaced.

“Duties and Responsibilities”:

The daily focus for instructional coaches should be:

  • modeling instruction – at least one hour a day
  • observing instruction and providing feedback – at least one hour a day
  • analyzing student work
  • analyzing data of student achievement
  • providing professional development

Expected administrative support includes:

  • working closely with the instructional coaches
  • participation in focus walks with instructional coaches
  • conferencing with teachers who are not implementing the “consistent practices”
  • conducting monthly leadership team meetings that focus on literacy
  • organizing continued training for teachers based on observation of instructional practice and analysis of student performance.
  • conducting a monthly school-wide reading experience that promotes common discourse on one topic shared across all grade levels and among all students and staff (“Book of the Month”, “Selection of the Month”, book, article, poem, play)

Instructional Recommendations:

Standards:

  • Use, implement, refer to, and teach to ONLY the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS)

Pacing Guides:

  • reading and writing pacing guides reflect only GPS.
  • Begin the writing pacing guide with writing to a prompt.

Standards Board:

  • Use only GPS.
  • Use for instruction and as such is in the classroom.
  • Self-contained classes - standards board for writing and math only.
  • Departmentalized classes - standards board for the content area taught.
  • Include the following on a standards board:
  • (1) statement of the standard and elements being taught
  • (2) statement of the task
  • (3) student work
  • (4) explanation of why student the work was selected in relation to

the task and standard

  • Display student benchmark work from the previous year on the standards board at the beginning of teaching to the standard.
  • Customize the size of the standards boards to be useful in the classroom – writing and math could be on one large, divided, bulletin board.

Displaying Student Work:

  • Include only a task when displaying student work anywhere other than the standards board (hallways, bulletin boards, outside the classroom).

Book of the Month:

  • A written response to the literature is not required.

Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop:

  • Maintain the rituals and routine of the workshop format – to include these components - mini lesson, independent and guided writing/reading, shared writing/reading, conferencing/monitoring progress, and closure.
  • Adjust the length of time of the workshop components depending on the age of the students and the time of the year.
  • Maintain a minimum of 60 minutes for Reader’s Workshop.
  • Use 90 minutes for Writer’s Workshop and skills block combined.
  • Ideally, Reader’s and Writer’s workshops are “back to back”.

Conferencing:

  • Provide specific and timely feedback to the student.
  • Provide feedback until the student successfully accomplishes the task.
  • Document the feedback provided to the student – example: conference logs or annotated copy of a rubric with multiple dates of conferences.
  • “Post-It’ notes to students or on standards board are not required.

Writing Portfolio:

  • Provide writing sample(s), with a rubric, to the next grade’s teacher.
  • Select the sample(s) based on the GPS.
  • Select sample(s) that are un-assisted writing (no teacher assistance).
  • Allow students to use the full writing process on the sample(s).

Word Wall:

  • Generate a dynamic word bank (constantly added to by teacher and students).
  • Provide easy access to the word bank - on the wall, in a book, or on a flip chart
  • Teach students to use the word bank – rituals and routines.

English Language Arts (ELA) Skills:

  • Must be addressed in the skills block (and possibly in a mini lesson).
  • Teach to GPS for ELA.
  • Use system provided textbook/materials for deliberate, organized instruction, in grades 2 through 5.

Formative Assessment:

  • Use a formal, system-wide, formative assessment at least twice during the school year to gauge student progress in both reading and math.
  • Use informal, continuous formative assessments throughout the year.
  • Use information from the formative assessments to adjust instructional practice to meet the identified needs of the students.
  • In progress - System preparing to provide a process for formative assessment for reading and for math that is simple, quick, and effective.